Karuizawa Distillery was established in 1956 near Miyota Town north west of Tokyo, Japan but closed in 2001 although the buildings and equipment remain. Karuizawa Distillery sits at an altitude of 850m on the foothills of the active volcano Mount Asama and used water which had drained through Asama’s lava soils. The equipment in Karuizawa Distillery included wooden washbacks and four small stills, although only three were used for malt whisky production, and sherry casks from Spain.